The rule is not just to protect the prodigies, but all of the children whose parents THINK they're prodigies, and there are a lot of those parents. And if you think it doesn't happen just remember AP McDonough, who unfortunately was a child prodigy and who had a mother who was, shall we say, a little over-eager. It's not lost on me that the moment she was legally old enough to leave home, AP quit competitive skating and moved across the country away from her mother.

Do you think that Ann Patrice's life would have been different if the ISU had put the age qualification for senior championships up or down a year or two?

The rule is not just to protect the prodigies, but all of the children whose parents THINK they're prodigies, and there are a lot of those parents. And if you think it doesn't happen just remember AP McDonough, who unfortunately was a child prodigy and who had a mother who was, shall we say, a little over-eager. It's not lost on me that the moment she was legally old enough to leave home, AP quit competitive skating and moved across the country away from her mother. I've seen parents push kids who clearly didn't want to be on the ice, one of whom told me she was going to make her daughter a star, if not in skating then in something else, especially after first Michelle and then Tara became world champions. I asked one mother why she had her 8 year old taking her pre-novice test (which she passed), and she said she was doing everything possible to get her (8 year old) ready for the Olympics. I pointed out to her that her daughter wouldn't turn 15 until October before the games and therefore would not be age-eligible until four years later.

I would LOVE to know what the mother said when you told her that her child would not be age-eligible.....